Dream Ghost

After that night, a strange tacit understanding developed between Lin Ye and Su Wanning. They never mentioned "I just wanted to see you" again, nor did they say anything similar, but the atmosphere between them changed. It used to be cold, now it was warm. Before, Su Wanning walked on his left, with a half-step between them; now that half-step was still there, but it felt different. The half-step was no longer a distance; it was a just-right gap, neither too close nor too far, allowing them to walk side by side.

Chen Xuan noticed, but he didn't say anything. He added two words to the training schedule—"Rest." No training every Sunday afternoon. He didn't write any reason, just "Rest." Lin Ye was stunned when he saw it, and Su Wanning was also stunned when he saw it. The two of them looked up at Chen Xuan at the same time. Chen Xuan was drinking water, staring out the window, as if nothing had happened.

On his first afternoon off, Lin Ye didn't know what to do. He sat in his room for a while, then stood up, walked to the window, looked at the sky outside, and sat back down. Autumn leaves shone on his wrist, their tender green appearing vibrant in the afternoon sunlight.

"You're anxious," Qiuye said.

"no."

"You are. Your consciousness is going in circles, like a dog chasing its own tail." Qiu Ye's voice was calm, but carried a certainty of "I see through you." "You're anxious because you want to find Su Wanning, but you don't know why you want to find her. You have no reason. You won't do something without a reason."

Lin Ye fell silent. Qiu Ye was right; he did want to find Su Wanning, but he couldn't find a reason. He used to look for her because of training, because of meals, or because Qiu Ye had learned a new color and he needed to show it to her. Today was a rest day, no training, the cafeteria was open, and he could eat anytime. Qiu Ye hadn't learned a new color today. There was no reason.

"No reason is needed," Qiuye said. "Wanting to see someone is the best reason."

Lin Ye stared at the pale green mark on his wrist for a few seconds, then stood up, put on his shoes, and walked out of the room. The corridor was quiet; most people were taking a nap at this time. He walked to Su Wanning's room; the door was closed, and there was no light through the crack—she was either napping or doing something else with the lights off. Lin Ye stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, then turned and left.

He went to the rooftop.

The rooftop was quiet, the wind was light, and the sun shone brightly. The morning glory was still there, its purple petals curling slightly in the afternoon sun, as if it too were taking a nap. Lin Ye sat down on the concrete platform, gazing at the distant city skyline. The skyscrapers shimmered in the sunlight, like a forest built of glass and steel. The sky was blue, the clouds were white, everything was perfect. Except, one person was missing.

He sat for about ten minutes when he heard footsteps behind him. They were light and steady; it was Su Wanning. She wasn't wearing shoes; her bare feet shone on the concrete floor of the rooftop, her toes appearing very white in the sunlight.

"How did you know I was here?" Lin Ye didn't turn around.

"Qiuye told me." Su Wanning walked over, sat down next to him, and tucked her feet under her skirt. "It said you were sunbathing here all by yourself, and you looked very lonely."

Lin Ye glanced down at the autumn leaf on his wrist. The tender green leaf brightened, as if to say, "It was me who said it."

"I am not alone," Lin Ye said.

"Autumn leaves say you are lonely."

"Autumn leaves do not understand human loneliness."

"It understands better than you. It has seen the hearts of people for three thousand years." Su Wanning tucked her hair behind her ear, turned her head to look at him, and asked, "You came to see me?"

Lin Ye remained silent for a few seconds.

"I went to your door. You were taking a nap and didn't knock."

How did you know I was taking a nap?

There was no light under the door crack.

Su Wanning looked at him, her lips twitching slightly. It wasn't a smile, but rather an expression that said, "You even noticed the light under the crack in the door."

"You have a very good eye for observation," she said.

"Professional habits".

"Psychology major?"

"Um."

"Then analyze what I'm thinking right now." Su Wanning shifted her gaze from his face and looked at the distant sky.

Lin Ye looked at her profile. Sunlight fell on her face, gilding her features with a golden hue. Her eyelashes were long, casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyelids. Her lips were slightly pursed, with a tiny curve at the corners—not a smile, but the kind of expression one would use to suppress.

"You're thinking, why hasn't this person spoken yet?" Lin Ye said.

Su Wanning's fingers twitched slightly on his knee.

"What did you say?"

"You know."

"I have no idea."

"You know."

Su Wanning turned to look at him. Their eyes met in the afternoon sunlight; neither looked away, nor did they linger for long. Perhaps two seconds, maybe three, before Su Wanning looked away.

"You're an annoying person," she said.

Why?

"Because you know everything, but you say nothing. You always wait for others to speak first."

Lin Ye looked at her. Sunlight danced on her hair, turning a few stray strands golden.

"Su Wanning."

"Um."

"I like you."

Su Wanning gripped the hem of her skirt tightly on her knees. She didn't speak, nor did she turn to look at him. She simply sat there, gazing at the distant sky, her fingers slowly loosening and then tightening again.

"You said it," she finally spoke, her voice so soft it was almost blown away by the wind.

"I said so."

"and then?"

"Then we'll wait for you to speak."

Su Wanning lowered her head, looking at her bare feet. Her toes appeared very white in the sunlight, and her toenails were pink, without any nail polish. She stared at her toes for a long time.

"I like you too," she said. Her voice was still soft, but it was a little steadyer than before.

The autumn leaves lit up on Lin Ye's wrist. Not a pale green, but a new color—somewhere between gold and pink, like the last rays of light before sunset. It didn't ask what color it was; it knew. It was the color that appeared when two people simultaneously spoke the truth.

Lin Ye reached out and took Su Wanning's hand. Her hand was cold, his was warm. Just like last time on the rooftop, but this time was different—this time neither of them let go.

"Aren't you going to ask me when I started liking you?" Su Wanning said.

"When?"

"The first day. You sat on the bed in the rented room, holding a utility knife, your eyes filled with fear, but you didn't run away. At that moment, I felt that this person was different." Su Wanning's voice was very soft, as if she were telling a secret she had kept for a long time. "Later, you devoured the Fear Hunter and gained extended perception. You said 'ten meters.' At that time, I thought, ten meters, not too far, not too near, just enough for me to stand next to you."

Lin Ye held her hand and gently drew a circle on the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I didn't notice you on the first day," he said.

"I know. All you could think about that day was, 'Am I crazy?'"

"I noticed it the next day."

"What time the next day?"

"When you knelt down and said to He Xiaohe's mother, 'Please believe us,' your voice was gentle, but your eyes were firm. It's rare to see gentleness and firmness in one person at the same time."

Su Wanning's lips finally curled into a smile. It wasn't a restrained, suppressed smile, but a genuine smile that welled up from the bottom of her heart and couldn't be suppressed. She looked at Lin Ye, her eyes shining—not with tears, but with the kind of bright, star-like light that only appears when someone you like tells you, "You are gentle and steadfast."

"You have a really good eye for observation," she said.

"Professional habits".

"He's not a psychology major. He just likes me."

Lin Ye looked at her, and the corners of his mouth turned up. It wasn't a deliberate, staged smile; it was the kind of smile that only appears when someone you like tells you "you like me," a smile that can't be hidden no matter what, like a child caught stealing candy, both embarrassed and proud.

"Yes," he said, "I like you."

The rooftop was quiet. A breeze blew from the east, rustling the morning glory leaves. The distant city shimmered in the sunlight, like a forest built of glass and steel. The sky was blue, the clouds were white, everything was perfect. And there was one more person. No, not just one more. He'd always been there, it was just confirmed now.

Autumn leaves shimmered between their hands, a light somewhere between gold and pink, like an inextinguishable lamp. It was learning. Learning how humans love—without words, without promises, without embraces, simply holding each other's hands. Saying nothing, doing nothing, but neither letting go first.

Su Wanning placed her other hand over his, trapping Lin Ye's hand between hers. Her hand was still cold, but his palm was broad, his fingers long, and his knuckles distinct. When her hand covered his, it nestled perfectly between his fingers, like two puzzle pieces that were already together, separated for a while, and now finally joined.

"You have to say it every day from now on," Su Wanning said.

"What did you say?"

"I like you."

"You say it every day?"

"every day."

"Won't you get tired of hearing it?"

"No. I'll only know if you tell me."

Lin Ye looked at her, at the light in her eyes, at the smile on her lips, at her hair that was ruffled by the wind.

"Su Wanning, I like you."

"Um."

"Su Wanning, I like you."

"I heard you."

"Su Wanning, I like you."

Su Wanning reached out and covered his mouth. Her palm was cool, and it carried a faint scent of laundry detergent as it touched his lips.

"That's enough," she said. "We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

Lin Ye looked at her, his eyes smiling. He reached out and took her hand away from his mouth, but didn't let go, holding it in his palm.

"How much should we say tomorrow?"

Three times.

"And the day after tomorrow?"

Three times.

"From now on, three times a day?"

"From now on, it will be three times a day. Once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening. You can't skip even one time."

"What if you forget?"

"I'll remind you."

How will you remind me?

Su Wanning looked at him, her eyes shining.

I would say, 'Lin Ye, have you forgotten something?'

"Then I said, 'Su Wanning, I like you.'"

"right."

The two gazed at each other, neither looking away. The afternoon sun streamed between them, turning the air golden. Autumn leaves shimmered between their hands, the light, somewhere between gold and pink, growing ever brighter, like a flower in full bloom.

"What is Qiuye doing?" Su Wanning asked.

"Studying."

"What to study?"

"What color is 'like'?"

"Has it learned it?"

Lin Ye looked down at the lines on his wrist. The light flowed slowly beneath his skin, like a luminous river. The colors shifted, from gold to pink, from pink to gold, switching back and forth, like someone repeatedly adjusting colors on a palette, trying to find the most accurate one.

"Not yet," Lin Ye said, "but it has time. It has a very, very long time."

Su Wanning also looked down at the light. The autumn leaves seemed to brighten under her gaze, as if to say, "I see you, and you see me."

"Qiuye," Su Wanning called its name softly.

The autumn leaves flashed twice, as if in response.

"Thank you."

The autumn leaves shone twice more. This time, their color stabilized. Not gold, not pink, but a new hue—like the ginkgo leaves of late autumn, like the forsythia of early spring, like the first star to appear in the summer evening sky. Golden yellow, but with a hint of orange, warm and soft, making you want to reach out and touch it.

It learned it. "Likes" this color.

Su Wanning reached out and gently touched the golden leaf with her fingertips. The autumn leaf trembled slightly at her touch, like a leaf being blown by the wind.

"It looks good," she said.

The autumn leaves shone briefly, as if to say "thank you".

On the rooftop, two people sat side by side, holding hands, gazing at the distant sky. The sun slowly slanted westward, moving from overhead to the west, painting the sky orange-red. The shadows of the morning glories stretched long on the ground, like a painting created with light and shadow.

"Lin Ye".

"Um."

"Will you enter the World Tree?"

Lin Ye remained silent for a few seconds.

"meeting."

"When?"

"Wait until everything is ready."

"When will it be ready?"

"I don't know. But it won't be long."

Su Wanning's fingers twitched slightly in his palm.

"I'll wait for you," she said.

"Wait for me to come back?"

"Waiting for you to come back."

Lin Ye turned to look at her. The light of the setting sun fell on her face, gilding her features with an orange-red hue. There was a light in her eyes, not the light of tears, but something very firm, like stone.

"I will come back," he said.

"I know."

How did you know?

"Because you promised. And you never fail to keep your promises."

Lin Ye looked at her for a long time. Then he smiled. Not the restrained, suppressed smile of an adult, but a genuine, childlike smile that welled up from the bottom of his heart and couldn't be suppressed.

"Su Wanning."

"Um."

"I like you."

"I've said it four times today. That's too many."

"I'll pay for tomorrow's portion today in advance."

Su Wanning looked at him, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

"Then you'll owe me the three repetitions tomorrow."

"it is good."

The sun set. The sky changed from orange-red to deep purple, and the first star appeared on the horizon, bright like a diamond pinned to a black curtain. The rooftop was quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling through the morning glory leaves and the soft breathing of two people.

The autumn leaves shone quietly on Lin Ye's wrist, their golden light appearing especially warm in the night. It was learning. Learning how humans wait—without speaking, without urging, without anxiety. Just shining, like a lamp. No matter how long the wait, it remained lit.